Avatar: Fire and Ash Box Office: India Pre-Sales Gain Momentum Over Weekend

Pre-sale ticket numbers in India for *Avatar: Fire and Ash* showed positive momentum over the past weekend. By Monday morning, the film had sold 55,000 tickets at two major national cinema chains for its opening day. Weekend pre-sales across those chains totaled 140,000 tickets.

Overall, advance bookings have generated over Rs. 4 crore for the film's opening day and Rs. 10 crore for the entire weekend.

While these figures are lower than those of *Avatar: The Way of Water* during the equivalent pre-release period, the difference has diminished. Initial Friday sales reached about 30% of *Avatar 2*'s numbers at the national chains, climbing to nearly 40% by the weekend's end. Current trends suggest *Avatar: Fire and Ash* is on track to reach 200,000 tickets sold, compared to the 330,000 tickets *Avatar: The Way of Water* sold in advance.

Comparison of Advance Sales at National Chains

• Avatar: Fire and Ash:* Headed for 200K final sales
• Avatar: The Way of Water:* 330K final sales

This decrease aligns with patterns observed internationally. *Avatar 2* benefitted from being the long-awaited follow-up to a groundbreaking box office hit, whereas *Fire and Ash* arrives just three years later. The intense anticipation driving early demand for *Avatar 2* isn't as prominent this time around.

Sales are strongest in South India, mirroring the performance of *Avatar: The Way of Water*. The Tamil Nadu and Telugu states, which previously led sales for *Avatar 2*, are again the top-performing regions. North India is currently lagging but is projected to catch up as the release date approaches and in the days following. The currently popular film, *Dhurandhar*, may present a challenge in Northern regions, as it is expected to continue its strong showing into its third week.

In a notable contrast to 2022, *Avatar 2* overshadowed Ranveer Singh's film, *Cirkus*.